The 'No Name Will Do It Justice' Experience

Just returned to a winterish Illinois from our four day trip to Tucson and our heads are spinning, our hearts filled and our creative senses nurtured. Too many impressions to describe in a single blog post, so I'll try to post one blog per day in an attempt to cover at least most of what this trip was about. So let's start with day 1, Thursday. We already posted about the pretty amazing photo shoot of fierce desert fairy Gabri by Kyle Cassidy in Sabino Canyon, and the result is in quantity as well as quality. Among Kyle, jewelry designers Kate and Jean Power, fantasy novelist Emma Bull and flash holder aka assistant aka light shedder Jeroen we have more than 1500 shots taken that day.

Photo by Kate McKinnon 

But the quality of Kyle's shots is even more impressive, capturing a radiant beauty in Gabri in a vermillion dress against the backdrop of a breathtaking landscape.

Photo of Gabri with Jean Power and Kate McKinnon triangles by Kyle Cassidy 

While this was all happening, other interesting things popped up, mainly involving jumping cholla cacti, Emma Bull's story telling (which deserves a dedicated blog post) and stop signs in the middle of the desert.

Jean Powers exploring the wonders of a stop sign 

 Exhausting, impressive and wonderful at the same time. We leave Sabino Canyon to visit Emma Bull's home and writer's retreat with she shares with husband and fellow fantasy novelist Will Shetterly, some horses and the best cat in the world.



The house is on the far outskirts of town, at the foot of the Catalina Mountains where Ken Thomas famously shot Kyle's hat. We are licked by horses, drink a terrific scotch and oh well, life is great.



And while Kyle and Jean have their butts frozen off watching the local women's roller derby team with Kate's daughter Bri as the jammer, GABROEN join Kate and Robin Douglas for a nice nouveau Mexican dinner at Tucson's downtown Poca Cosa. And that was only day 1.